(yào shi) - key (for lock) in Mandarin
yàoshiTraditional: 鑰匙
Translation
key (for lock)
Word origin
A compound of 钥 (yào, 'key') and 匙 (shi, 'key, spoon'). 钥 is a phono-semantic compound of 钅(metal radical) with 月 as phonetic; 匙 pairs 匕 (a spoon shape) with 是 (shì) as phonetic.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 钥 (yào; 钅metal + phonetic) + 匙 (shi; 匕 spoon + 是 shì phonetic)
Stroke order
钥
匙
Examples
。
I can't find the key.
。
Give me the door key.
。
He opened the door with the key.
。
I left the keys inside the car.
邻。
My neighbour keeps a spare key for me.
钥匙 (yào shi) means key (for lock). It is used as a noun in everyday Mandarin speech.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
(4)The Mandarin 把 (bǎ) Construction: Fronting the Object to Say What You Did To It
Mandarin Resultative Complements: Fusing a Result onto the Verb (看见, 吃完, 找到)
Mandarin Sentence Structure: Word Order, Topic-Comment and the 把 Construction
又 (yòu) vs 再 (zài) vs 还 (hái) in Mandarin: The Three Ways to Say 'Again'
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钥匙: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "钥匙" (key (for lock)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 18.